How to delegate effectively

I reckon this is one of the main reasons people procrastinate on out sourcing administration tasks. They think it will take longer to explain to someone how to do something, so they just do it themselves cause it’s ‘quicker’. Or they don’t think someone can do ‘as good of a job as them’.

Delegating, giving someone a task is easy.

“Hey, can you add this to my calendar?”

Easy. Right?

Delegating effectively and unlocking the partnership between your assistant and yourself. That’s where the true magic lies. Imagine, not needing to think about certain things because your assistant just knows how to deal with something. You don’t even have to get involved. There’s no “can you put this in my calendar” it’s already there because your assistant knew it needed setting up, knew the key stakeholders and has actioned it.

Calendar management is just one very small example butprobably and easy one to demonstrate and everyone can relate to, thepossibilities are endless though.

Delegating effectively depends on 3 key elements.

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Openness

How much do you let them in. I know you may think some stuff is confidential or giving them access to your emails is daunting. Seriously though, unless you involved in some sordid office affair what could you possibly have in your emails that they can’t see. If they have access all areas they can get a bigger picture view of what’s going on, what the priorities are from a strategic level, who are your key contacts and an insight into how you manage your replies, working relationships and time. If they can access everything and then are given free reign to manage certain areas and projects then it’s win win. Yes, you may have to provide some context at the start and yes that will take more time than doing it yourself. Once they are across it though then you can finally let go and shift your focus to where it’s most needed  

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Communication

You need to over communicate at the start, from both sides. This will build trust. On top of this you need a regular timeslot where you catch up. Even if you think you are both across everything, still catch up, there will 100% always be something! Copy your assistant into everything that relates to a meeting, so they can be across the schedule. Anything that relates to a shifting priority, so they can alter your schedule accordingly. Anything that effects your workload, so they can assist with delegating something to a team member or shifting timelines/expectations. No one is going to get annoyed if they have too much information, it gets challenging to assist when there isn’t enough.

Clarity

Clear scope, deadlines and expectations. Provide as much information as possible and then expect questions back. Lack of clarity is one of the main causes of procrastination. If you’re not clear n what is expected and timeline it’s way easier to just keep putting it to the bottom of the pile.

If your delegating simple tasks, still using these 3 elements will improve your effectiveness. Clear instructions, clear and open context, constant communication on deadlines, expectations and progress.

If you’re wanting to level up your delegating and delegate projects and tasks long term you’ll need to invest in these 3 things more so that you can create a trusting environment for the working relationship to thrive and grow. Once you’ve nailed it, it’ll be the best thing you’ve done and you’ll thank yourself for investing in it!

Anything else you use to help delegate?

Let me know how you get on.

AC

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